This invention relates to a fuel-cell-powered vehicle and, more particularly, to a hydrogen ventilation duct for emitting hydrogen in a space underneath the hood of the vehicle in natural ventilation.
Automobiles include fuel-cell-powered vehicles which are propelled with motors driven by electricity generated in fuel cells supplied with hydrogen and oxygen (air). Some fuel-cell vehicles have drive motors disposed in spaces beneath hoods at the front bodies (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cmotor roomsxe2x80x9d), fuel cells disposed beneath floor plates, and intake ducts extended from the fuel cells to the motor rooms.
The intake ducts take in air from the motor rooms, guiding the air to the fuel cells, and thereby providing ventilation of the fuel cells.
In a fuel-cell vehicle with such an intake duct, if the fuel cells leak hydrogen for some reason when stopping the generation of electricity, the leaked hydrogen can pass through the intake duct and flow into the motor room. Most of the hydrogen entering the motor room will flow out through the gaps between the front fenders and the hood, for example, into the atmosphere. Part of the hydrogen, however, can stay below the hood.
In order to emit hydrogen staying under the hood into the atmosphere, a ventilation duct may be provided in the hood of the fuel-cell vehicle. The ventilation duct provided in the hood allows natural ventilation to remove hydrogen staying underneath the hood.
However, the provision of the ventilation duct in the hood can cause entering of rainwater or wash water, for example, into the motor room through the ventilation duct. The entering rainwater or wash water may reach various kinds of equipment such as a motor controller provided in the motor room.
It is thus desirable to provide natural ventilation for emitting hydrogen staying under the hood while preventing the entering of rainwater or wash water into the motor room.
According to the present invention, there is provided a hydrogen ventilation duct mountable to a hood of a fuel-cell-powered vehicle, which comprises: a gutter with a substantially rectangular depression configured to be disposed between an outer panel and an inner frame which constitutes the hood; at least one tube provided in a base of the gutter so as to establish communication between a space below the hood and a space inside the gutter; a cover integrally formed with the upper end of the gutter so as to be positioned above the tube, the cover having a vent for communication between the space inside the gutter and ambient air; and at least one guide plate integrally provided to the rear surface of the cover in a position between the vent of the cover and the tube, the guide plate extending at the lower end thereof to a level lower than the upper end of the tube; wherein, hydrogen in the space below the hood is guided through the tube into the space inside the gutter, and the hydrogen in the space inside the gutter is guided from opposite sides of the guide plate to the vent.
Thus, establishing the communication between the space below the hood and the space inside the gutter using the tube and the communication between the space inside the gutter and the vent, and disposing the vent above the outer panel allow hydrogen staying under the hood to be guided through the tube into the space inside the gutter and then emitted through the vent into the atmosphere. Further, the disposition of the guide plate in the space inside the gutter between the vent and the tube results in rainwater or wash water entering the space inside the gutter from the vent guided by the guide plate to flow around the tube. The rainwater or wash water is thus guided to the gutter without entering the tube and is thus prevented from entering the motor room in which various kinds of equipment are disposed.
The guide plate is curved to protrude toward the tube, so that hydrogen entering the space inside the gutter from the tube is smoothly guided by the guide plate to the vent.
A drain pipe is connectable to the gutter, so that water collected in the gutter is:discharged through the drain pipe.